A number of Mystery/Adventure and Pulp properties were licensed in Japan in the 1960s to be adapted into manga series. Saito's pre-Golgo 13 work on James Bond and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is legendary (and remains untranslated), and Kuwata's Batman has had a resurgence due to the loving efforts of designer Chip Kidd (the complete collection will finally be published in English this Dec). Adventures of The Green Hornet and his Karate-master chauffeur, Kato, were released in Japanese by Toru Yamazaki in 1967 (a contemporary creator named Toru Yamazaki published Octopus Girl). Few images of the Hornet manga have surfaced outside of the collector's market, but here are some samples that might spark your interest. The Green Hornet has also appeared in the pages of Harvey, Gold Key, Now, DC, and Dynamite Comics. Kevin Smith, Ralph Garman, and Ty Templeton are currently publishing a series through DC that continues the Batman/Green Hornet TV crossover from March, 1967. You can read my interview with the creative team here. Related posts: Interview with Green Hornet writer Win Scott Eckert, Solo by Saito, UNCLE and Batman manga. Learn more about the history of The Green Hornet. Happy weekend, Spy Vibers!
